The construction workers I work with would laugh at this, but none would condone it. And they would welcome Mr.Simmonds into the ranks if hired. But he'd never be treated as an equal if they didn't harass him for anything they could. (And one better dish it back!) If the guys were going out to the bar, Simmonds would definitely be invited. Maybe they are jerks, but the onus is on everyone not to take the jokes/pranks/comments personal with people who you know are just kidding. Everyone gets a chance at being the target of cruelty. The vibe I get as the world gets more politically-correct, is it's better to exclude certain people in the social circle for fear anyone will be offended. In a different situation, this banana toss in my mind would be border-line acceptable, but only if they already knew Wayne Simmonds and what they could get away with, if he'd take it seriously, were face-to-face, and were willing to take the retribution that was guaranteed to come back. I have a real problem with the guy in the crowd. This was a truly cowardly act from a complete idiot. Harassing friends is one thing, harassing strangers is just wrong. This wasn't funny, but that a guy could be so stupid is. I had two friends/co-workers going at it, both having fun with it, and someone who didn't like one of them got him fired for saying something nobody was offended by. They can make all the laws they like, in the end, there's only so much class one can expect from places like construction sites and the nose-bleeds in a hockey arena. Simmonds did an excellent job rolling with the punches and for that I have deep respect for.
